Charles Rotter
On July 11, 2025, Wyoming marked a historic milestone with the ceremonial opening of the Brook Mine near Ranchester—the first rare earth element (REE) mine in the United States in 70 years, and the first new coal mine in the state in nearly five decades. The event, attended by federal and state officials as well as local residents, underscores Wyoming’s growing role in the supply of critical minerals for modern technology and energy systems.
The significance of this occasion was not lost on attendees. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright emphasized the pervasiveness of rare earth elements in daily life, stating,
“Anything in your life that has a button… all of those things have rare earth elements playing a critical role.”
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/11/first-u-s-rare-earth-mine-in-70-years-opens-in-wyoming/
These elements are crucial for producing magnets, batteries, and electronics found in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and military equipment.
Governor Mark Gordon praised the effort and what it represents for Wyoming’s economic future, declaring, “This is a new era for Wyoming and the nation.” U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, along with Representative Harriet Hageman, also attended the opening, as did former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, now a board member of Ramaco Resources, the company behind the project.
The Brook Mine stands out for its unique geology. The rare earths here are not found in traditional hard rock but are embedded in soft coal seams, described as material that
“you can hold it in your hand, and it just starts to crumble.”
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/11/first-u-s-rare-earth-mine-in-70-years-opens-in-wyoming/
This means the mine is expected to avoid the radioactive tailings associated with most hard rock rare earth operations, a detail highlighted by both officials and Ramaco executives.
Estimates suggest that the Brook deposit contains about 1.7 million tons of rare earth oxides, positioning Wyoming as a potential key domestic source for these strategically vital materials. Mining has already begun in the Monarch coal seam, with Ramaco’s CEO announcing that a pilot plant for processing rare earth elements should be operational “late this summer or early fall.”
The opening comes at a time when the United States is seeking to reduce dependence on foreign sources—especially China, which currently refines more than 80 percent of global rare earths. As Secretary Wright put it,
“For over 70 years, the United States has relied almost entirely on foreign sources… That dependence is vulnerability.”
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/11/first-u-s-rare-earth-mine-in-70-years-opens-in-wyoming/
Leaders at the event repeatedly framed the project as critical to both national security and energy independence.
Economic expectations are running high. Officials spoke of new high-wage jobs, rural prosperity, and the potential for Wyoming to lead the nation in rare earth production. Ramaco has already received grants and recognition from both federal and state authorities, highlighting broad support for the project’s ambitions. The ceremony was marked by speeches, a tour of the site, and an optimistic vision for Wyoming’s economic and technological future.
In the words of Gov. Gordon,
“This is the dawn of a new era in American energy and national security.”
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/11/first-u-s-rare-earth-mine-in-70-years-opens-in-wyoming/
The project’s backers hope the Brook Mine will inspire further investment and innovation in the domestic rare earth supply chain—ensuring that Wyoming, and the nation, are at the forefront of the next wave of technological advancement.
As the first trucks rolled away with freshly mined material, the sense of history was palpable. The Brook Mine’s opening not only reestablishes Wyoming’s reputation as a mining leader but positions it at the cutting edge of American resource development. For supporters and onlookers alike, this day represented a proud moment in the ongoing story of American ingenuity and resilience.
Now expect the Green Blob to try to tie it up in court.
This is good news but I wouldn’t piss away our rare earth elements on renewables.
Probably best not to piss away anything on unreliable intermittent boondoggles, including but not limited to rare earths.
“As the first trucks rolled away …”
Where to were they rolling? Then what?
I am surprised there is not a processing facility on site. The mines my son has worked at had processing on site or very close.
Just about anywhere in Wyoming is miles and miles away from anywhere else in Wyoming.
I guess that the minerals will be processed in China as usual.
And who will bake the bread (process)?
What happens to the coal after the REE is extracted?
I would think there will be. much more coal than rare earths in the mix. The article states that these rare earths were embedded in the coal which obviously can be burned
I’m talking about processing of the REEs not extraction.
Oldie, but Goodie. If only it were still in our homes and learning institutions.
Nowhere did they specify what oxides are being mined.
Isnt the largest rare earth mine in the world already in US – the California Nevada border
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Pass_Rare_Earth_Mine
‘It is the only rare-earth mining and processing facility in the United States] It is the largest single known deposit of such minerals”
Theres also a new prospect in Texas, at Roundtop
https://tmrcorp.com/projects/rare_earths/
Th issue for ores minded in US or Australia or such , was the processing had been cornered by the low cost Chinese ore mills. Which gave them control
After the previous tactics the chicoms used to get control I fully support Tariffs Dig baby dig
The California Mountain Pass mine went bankrupt apx 5 years ago and closed. It is now being reopened under new management with Department of Defense owning a good portion of it and supplying long term procurement contract at two times the current Chinese rare earth mineral price. I’m not a big fan of government subsidies propping up mining projects, but it looks like Trump has decided local supply of rare earths is of strategic interest and worth subsidizing…
https://www.reuters.com/business/mp-materials-partners-with-department-defense-boost-us-rare-earth-magnet-supply-2025-07-10/
A significant share of Mountain Pass is owned by the Chinese.
A very incestuous ownership situation if the Chinese are still involved…
”MP Materials is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “MP”. As of December 2021, JHL Capital Group, QVT Financial and CEO James Litinsky were the company’s three largest shareholders, with about 7.7% of the company owned by Shenghe Resources, a Chinese company partly owned by the country’s Ministry of Natural Resources.[12] In July 2025, the United States Department of Defense-announced a deal that would make it the largest shareholder of MP Materials.”
If still involved, China is now a small minority investment with no voting rights. Recent actions are not yet well reported on sites I just visited.
More Mountain Pass twist and turns, now Apple 🍎 getting involved:
Apple to Buy Rare Earth Magnets From MP Materials in $500 Million Partnership DealMT Newswires
01:10 PM EDT, 07/15/2025 (MT Newswires) — MP Materials (MP.NaE)shares surged intraday Tuesday after Apple (AAPL.NaE) agreed to buy rare earth magnets from the company under a $500-millionmultiyear partnership deal.
MP Materials (MP.NaE) will supply Apple (AAPL.NaE) with rare earth magnets produced at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility, the companies said in separate statements. The collaboration will also see MP Materials (MP.NaE) constructing a recycling line in Mountain Pass, California.
The Alarmists will go into hysterics over the coal of course, which will be fun.
You can separate the REs from coal by….burning the coal and collecting the ash. There are millions of tons of coal ash in landfills in the U.S. But there is difficulty, either technical or economic, in doing this. Academics and businesses have been sniffing around coal ash for years, trying to use it as a source of REs.
Many of these sources are known to contain radioactive elements, particularly eastern bituminous, so that may be the difference. Is this new source of soft coal with low radioactivity different from all of the other soft Wyoming coals we have been burning for decades?
If they can extract the rare earths without causing the horrible pollution cause by the Chinese methods of extraction, the Greens shouldn’t have a leg to stand on as regards the legality of the mining.
After all, the Greens need the rare earths for all their ‘renewable’ schemes.
If they can extract the rare earths without causing the horrible pollution cause by the Chinese methods of extraction, the Greens shouldn’t have a leg to stand on as regards the legality of the mining.
After all, the Greens need the rare earths for all their ‘renewable’ schemes.
I wonder if mines that use solution mining both have rare earth minerals in the soluble ore, and that they are readily extractable by solution mining. Probably not applicable to coal mines, but there are lots of other kinds of mines in Wyoming where solution mining is used.
Every journey begins with a first step.
Even a halted journey, recommencing, starts with a first step.
The old Kennecott copper mine in Utah has been producing rare earth elements for a number of years. However, now that it is owned by Rio Tinto, the rare earth elements are shipped to Australia and then to China. It’s a shame that China gets the rare earth elements mined here when we have such a need for them. Can’t that be stopped?
What AI generated the picture of the mine?